I just recently purchased a pair of hook (spoon) knives made by Del Stubbs at Pinewood Forge. For the past couple of decades I have been using crooked knives made by Kestrel Tool and North Bay Forge, local fellows following the NW Coast tradition patterns. These are flat bottom knives with the angled edge inside the curve. Kestrel Tools were available in both straight and curved handles, and North Bay only straight handles.
This image has both Kestrel Tools in the front and North Bay crooked and scorp in the background.
These are what I have always used for spoon or bowl carving. But I decided to try the Scandinavian influenced patterns flat on the inside of the curve and angled on the outside. These made by Del Stubbs, in both a right and left handed version.
I also bought a Kolrosing knife from Stubbs to try out too. This image has my Kestrel Tool Baby NW Coast straight knife in it also. A flatter view of these, plus my Iisakki Järvenpää 1244 (birchbark handle) and straight carving knife can be seen in this image:
In just a few uses of the new Stubbs hook knives I can say they are very finely made and while I am still learning the differences in the two patterns I am slightly leaning towards the Scandinavian pattern for spoon hollowing. The NW Coast style seems somewhat better for larger pieces while the Stubbs hooks more for the confined spaces of a spoon.
These are really exceptional tools all around. The Pinewood Forge site has plenty of information too about carving and Kolrosing. I am glad I got these.
http://www.pinewoodforge.com/
This image has both Kestrel Tools in the front and North Bay crooked and scorp in the background.
These are what I have always used for spoon or bowl carving. But I decided to try the Scandinavian influenced patterns flat on the inside of the curve and angled on the outside. These made by Del Stubbs, in both a right and left handed version.
I also bought a Kolrosing knife from Stubbs to try out too. This image has my Kestrel Tool Baby NW Coast straight knife in it also. A flatter view of these, plus my Iisakki Järvenpää 1244 (birchbark handle) and straight carving knife can be seen in this image:
In just a few uses of the new Stubbs hook knives I can say they are very finely made and while I am still learning the differences in the two patterns I am slightly leaning towards the Scandinavian pattern for spoon hollowing. The NW Coast style seems somewhat better for larger pieces while the Stubbs hooks more for the confined spaces of a spoon.
These are really exceptional tools all around. The Pinewood Forge site has plenty of information too about carving and Kolrosing. I am glad I got these.
http://www.pinewoodforge.com/
